I’m behind on posting about my 52 books in 52 weeks project, but I’m not behind on reading! I re-read this one for the first time in about ten years on the Beachbody Cruise. It’s a classic metaphysical/holistic healing book by Louise Hay. Published in the mid-80s, it was ahead of its time with holistic healing concepts and the psychology of wellness.

Our thoughts influence our lives, our wellness and the outcomes we manifest in life. The book explores the origins of how we get trapped into certain ways of thinking as well as our power to overcome thoughts that no loner serve us. She and Wayne Dyer were really pioneers in this way of thinking. 💡

The flavors of Morocco come through with this easy dish. Start to finish, you’re done in less than 25 minutes.

1 C. red bell pepper, chopped

1 C. onion, chopped

1 C. carrot, chopped

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. coriander

1 15-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained

2/3 C. dried couscous

1 1/3 C. vegetable broth

parsley to taste

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onions, and bell peppers. Saute five minutes, or until tender. Add garlic, spices and heat through an additional two minutes. Add garbanzo beans, vegetable broth, and couscous. Cover and reduce heat to low. Heat for five minutes, remove from heat and fluff before serving. Add parsley to garnish.

This book is unlike other books on spirituality I’ve read. The author, Paul Selig, is a clairvoyant, channeler and empath. Selig was basically an atheist until his mid-20s, when he had a spiritual experience and began to develop spiritual gifts as an empath and medium. He quietly worked on them alone and with a small circle of friends while simultaneously working in academics for 20 years. Then, in 2009, I Am The Wordwas channelled to him by his spirit guides. He makes it known that he is not the author, just a conduit for their message.

The fact that it’s channeled text in and of itself made the book interesting to me. I do believe that we all have spirit guides, whether we’re consciously aware of them or not. They are always there, but most of us can’t see, hear or sense them. It’s because we don’t have those frequencies dialed in. Think of the universe as a radio dial. We can really only understand the messages of the channel we tune into. Our guides could be transmitting on channel 105.5, but we have 99.1 tuned in. Although I’d love to say I can see and hear my spirit guides, that’s still something I’m working on.

The book’s main thesis is that we are all divinely created and have the ability to have God work through us. Through our connection to Source (God), we can elevate our consciousness and tap into our higher selves, or what the author calls our “Christed” selves. When we are able to see ourselves as divinely created, and the divine nature of others, we elevate our consciousness and move into vibration with who we are meant to be.

You attract to you the situations, people that are vibrating in the same frequency, or on the same channel. You align yourself with people of the same frequency. That’s why some friendships go away, and new people are brought into your life. They say that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. Those lessons are wonderful and miraculous, but they’re not always meant to be forever. But, through spiritual work, we can change our own channels and become more tuned to our divine nature.

When it comes to putting these practices into action, it’s the “how” that’s challenging for me. From a personal standpoint, I can find peace and mindfulness while I’m reading. The words in this book make total sense, but putting them into action is what’s hard. When I shut book and have to deal with bills, barking dogs, cranky teens and people cutting me off in the carpool lane. The “how” can be more than a little bit elusive. Not all people and situations seem so divinely created, right? And, our reactions to them most certainly are not (at least mine aren’t). Sometimes when I read, I create visuals for myself to help me digest the material. When I was reading this book, I imagined my connection to source as a beam of light: Pure white light from the heavens, and pouring into me through the crown chakra. I also visualized the energy required to activate it as love, joy and peace emanating from my heart chakra, as the energy required to activate the change and fuel the process. Because, God is love. Pure, unadulterated, unconditional love. We can use that loving energy to heal everything, even those who we feel have done us wrong. We can send love to the cranky teens and forgive the lady who cut us off in traffic. We can find peace in relationships that we’ve outgrown known that we received the life lesson we needed from them and they may no longer of service to us.

Blocking the process, resisting change, is what result in discomfort. Most of us resist change, or buck against what our version of “right” should be. That’s where we go wrong. When we get mired down in depression, grief, guilt and shame, we aren’t releasing the past. We can’t deny what is. But, we can transform our relationship to it. We can look at traumas as our biggest teachers and opportunities for growth. When we accept that we took part in their creation, and that life is our biggest classroom, we can embrace what is instead of fighting it. When we all do this, the world is a better place. We can each raise our own consciousness and move into our true, pure selves… we raise the collective consciousness of humanity. All ships rise.

I was disappointed when I realized I left this book in the front seat pocket on the plane. Mainly because I’m stacking all the books I’m reading on my armoire this year so I can watch my pile grow, but also because I wanted to read it again at some point. Books that have a spiritual impact on me are like friends that I want to visit again, because each experience with them I’m left with new takeaways and insights.

Then, I set an intention that it finds its way to another person who was meant to read it. There are no coincidences. That book was not meant to be on the pile, it was meant to find its way to someone else who was ready for their teacher to appear.

Over the past five years, Autumn Calabrese revolutionized the way we approach nutrition with her color-coded portion-control food containers that have helped millions change their lives, while still enjoying the foods they love. Now, Portion Fix has been improved and upgraded to The Ultimate Portion Fix, a premium nutrition program sold as a standalone program on the nutrition tab of Beachbody On Demand.

ABOUT THE ULTIMATE PORTION FIX PROGRAM: PORTION CONTROL IS JUST THE BEGINNING

If you’re familiar with Autumn’s approach to nutrition, you know that portion-control is key. But now, she’s going to delve deeper into the three main principles.
1. Portion Control
2 Balanced macronutrients
3. Eliminating processed foods

WHY THE ULTIMATE PORTION FIX?

The tools in the new The Ultimate Portion Fix program will help you:
• Break your sugar-addiction
• Get the whole family healthy
• Maximize your nutrition for performance

THE ULTIMATE PORTION FIX: WHAT’S INCLUDED?

• Over 30 new videos about the containers with deep dives into the principles of the plan so you can really grasp each concept.
• Portion-control containers – FREE GIFT!
• Program Workbook and Daily Logbook.
• Tracking on iOS and Android devices. On iOS users can find container, weight and water tracking in the Nutrition+ app. On Android, users can track these items within the Beachbody On Demand app.
• Fixate Volume 2 Cookbook. Includes 102 new recipes.
• 75 Healthy Lunch Ideas for Kids PDF (digital). A quick and easy resource for parents that want to make sure their kids getting a variety of healthy foods and not eating the same things over and over again.
• Fixate Cooking Show. Access to over 200 videos.
• Beachbody Insulated Tote Bag. Comes with large partitioned containers, ice packs, and plenty of storage so you can take your food with you wherever you go and stay on track (included in the Combo Pack and as an optional purchase).
• BONUS 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme Workouts.

KEY ULTIMATE PORTION FIX RELEASE DATES:

• 3/4/19: Coach Exclusive Launch Window for the Ultimate Portion Fix Program. Coaches will also be able to purchase Ultimate Portion Fix Certification. Certification provides Coaches with videos, worksheets, and tools that will help Coaches better highlight the benefits of the program and training directly from Autumn on how to start and lead their own Ultimate Portion Fix Challenge groups. When purchasing UPF Certification, Coaches will have the opportunity to get a free 30-day trial of Master Series, a monthly subscription that provides Coaches with timely tools to lead their groups more effectively.
• 3/18/19: Official Launch Date. The Ultimate Portion Fix Bundles go on Sale with a BONUS – new real-time streaming of the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme Workouts.
• 4/1/19: Live stream of 21 Day Fix begins.
• 4/29/19: Live stream of 21 Day Fix Extreme begins.
• 5/31/19: 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme Challenge Packs go on sale. Workouts that were live streamed will move into BOD member library.
• There will be two Coach test groups, one for Coaches who have purchased Certification and one for Coaches who have purchased the home program. More details to come and dedicated FAQ will be released closer to launch
• Those who purchase The Ultimate Portion Fix will be granted streaming access to the Portion Fix content through the Nutrition tab on Beachbody On Demand.
• Once you purchase The Ultimate Portion Fix, you have access to the program forever; no associated continuity or subscription.*Please Note: Dates are subject to change.

Q&A: ADDITIONAL Information on the Ultimate Portion Fix

Q: Where can The Ultimate Portion Fix be found?
A: The Ultimate Portion Fix is a premium nutrition program that is not included in a standard Beachbody On Demand membership; it requires a separate purchase from Beachbody On Demand. A Beachbody On Demand membership is not included with a Portion Fix standalone purchase. It is also not required that Beachbody On Demand be purchased to access the Portion Fix content.

Q: Will I be able to access the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme real time workouts after the live stream is complete?
A: Yes. The workouts will be available anytime from The Ultimate Portion Fix program on Beachbody On Demand. After May 31, the workouts also will be part of the BOD Member Library and accessible from the 21 Day Fix and 21 Day Fix Extreme programs.

Q: Does The Ultimate Portion Fix program come with the color-coded containers?
A: Yes, you will get one set of color-coded containers. Additional containers can be bought separately on teambeachbody.com

Q: Do I get DVDs with this program?
No, this is a streaming-based program. If you have spotty internet, you can download the videos to watch at your convenience via the Beachbody on Demand app.

Ultimate Portion Fix Unboxing

Fitness and Nutrition Information for Ultimate Portion Fix

Q: What are Autumn Calabrese’s nutrition credentials?
A: Autumn is a certified health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is also the creator of 21 Day Fix, 21 Day Fix Extreme and the color-coded container system, which has been a breakthrough in simplifying eating for millions of people.

Q: Do I need to exercise when doing The Ultimate Portion Fix?
A: Although the plan is designed to provide weight loss regardless of exercise just by helping the user get better control of their portions and food choices, incorporating fitness into your routine will not only help improve your results, it’s good for your health! In fact, many Beachbody nutrition plans have already been “containerized” to work with The Ultimate Portion Fix system.

Q: Can I use Shakeology with this program?
A: Of course! Shakeology is a source of protein and counts as a red container.

Q: What if I am also doing a Beachbody fitness program?
A: We recommend you follow the nutrition plan that accompanies the fitness program, but many of our programs use the portion control containers or give you the option.

Q: What is the difference between 2B Mindset and The Ultimate Portion Fix?

Will there be a tracking app?
Yes. The Nutrition+ App for iOS will be updated to include more robust container tracking features. For Android Users, container tracking will now be available via the Beachbody on Demand App.

Will the tracking functionality via the app be similar to the 21 Day Fix App?
Yes, but it will offer even more! You’ll be able to track your container count equivalents but also access video tutorials, meal tracker, progress logs, and healthy recipes.

APPLY FOR OUR ULTIMATE PORTION FIX CHALLENGE GROUP

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Ultimate Portion Fix Results: Before and After

These images are used with permission from the Coaches who participate in the Pilot Test Group. Results are 30-day transformations.

After reading Letting Go by Dr. David R. Hawkins, I had to delve deeper into his teachings. He’s an amazing thinker, philosopher, theologist and totally in touch with the psychological evolution of humankind on a metaphysical level. Did I lose you yet? I hope not! It sounds deep, but it’s really cool. You can use it to be happier, more satisfied in your relationships, and even advance your career. This stuff is kind of esoteric, but let me explain…

Have you heard the phrase “raise your vibrations”? It’s been around since hippie times. Good vibes. Right on. Ya know? Hawkins’ general teachings assign “vibratory levels” to certain emotions. Shame, guilt and anger being at the lowest end, love, peace and joy at the highest. He’s calibrated the levels of all emotions; a sort of ladder of consciousness, on which we can measure our own evolution. He’s far from being a hippie, though. He’s done research into kinesiology that supports his stance that the higher energy levels strengthen us, the lower energies weaken us.

The idea is that in terms of kinesiology, your body knows the truth. Certain thoughts, emotions, images, music, can make you go either “strong” or “weak”. When you are filled with love and joy, your body is strong. When you feel grief-stricken, at odd with someone, it goes weak. Basically, your body will become strong in the presence of truth and authenticity, it will go weak in the presence of falsehood. it’s reflected in the musculature of the body. You can even test it.

Here’s an overview of his chart and energy calibrations:

On a personal level, the idea is to “let go” of those lower energies to ‘vibrate higher’ and attract abundance, happiness and fulfillment. On a societal level, the idea is that when we raise our vibrations we move forward the collective consciousness. This makes logical sense to me. The more we can release negativity, the better we feel. The more authenticity, love and truth we can project towards ourselves and others, the stronger we become. And the more people doing that, the better our families, communities and world will be.

On Valentine’s Day, I finished an amazing book by David R. Hawkins called Letting Go. I thought it was an apropos and timely ending to a day focusing on love and what it means to us. The book really helped frame my outlook on love, and how we can better experience it and share it with others. (Since the book was 365+ pages long I’ll paraphrase my takeaways, but if you’re interested in experiencing more love and positive emotions in your life I highly recommend you grab a copy and read it from cover to cover. I’ll drop a link in the comments below)

Think of emotions as energy forms, each taking on a stronger vibration. Shame, guilt and anger are at the low end of the spectrum. Love, joy and peace are on the highest end. When we experience negative emotions, they cloud our ability to vibrate at higher energy levels and experience positive emotions. They weigh us down. They’re heavy and dark, like clouds covering up the sun.

The author suggests a “Letting Go” technique for when negative emotions arise- which is basically recognizing and experiencing the emotion then allowing it to pass. The truth is, most of us are afraid to experience our own emotions, which are there to serve us. Too often we suppress negativity because it’s not fun to experience. We “dull” it with social media, video games, Netflix binges, alcohol, or other means of escapism.

The thing is, most negative emotions, when allowed to be experienced, pass rather quickly. They’re really nothing to be afraid of, and can be a means to help us grow if we choose to see them that way. They’re tools we can use to break down barriers and surrender to a higher vibration.

There have been times in my own life where my own ability to love has been overshadowed with feelings of resentment, anger and judgment. I’m a work in progress, but getting better at recognizing these emotions and letting them go. The more I recognize them and see them for what they are, the more I realize they don’t serve me at all. The higher energies do.

Bottom line: Love is always there, because it’s WITHIN us. We ARE love. It’s just that we hang on to negativity thinking it will somehow protect us or serve us (psssst! It doesn’t). So, if you’re struggling with feelings of doubt, shame, anger… let it go. It is only serving to block the higher energies of love and joy.

I totally believe that a scale is a good tool to use if you want to lose weight. It will tell you if you’re doing the right things to stay on track, and help you measure your progress. But, it’s ONLY a tool. When we give it more power than it deserves we tend to lose focus on what’s truly important in our wellness journey.

I can relate. In my 20s, I was focused entirely too much on the scale. I let it dictate how I felt about myself on any given day, and I was not focused on being healthy. I was focused SOLELY on that number and had given that one silly item way too much power. Now that I’m older and hopefully a bit wiser, my relationship with the scale is much healthier. I use it a few times a week to make sure I’m still in my “maintenance zone” and focus my daily behaviors on what I need to do to stay there. It’s a mental game as much as it is a physical one.

Are you too dependent on the scale?

Are you becoming too focused on the scale? Here are five signs you may need to re-think how you use it:

You use it more often than once a day. If you skip a day, you feel anxious.

When you have a “good” scale day you reward yourself by eating things you normally wouldn’t.

When you have a “bad” scale day you restrict, even though your body is craving nourishment.

It is your main (or only) measurement tool of progress.

You allow it to have an impact on how you feel about yourself on any particular day.

Tap Into Your WHY Power

When you start your wellness journey, you’ll quickly realize that in order to be successful you have to focus on more than just weight loss. Often, it starts with tapping into WHY you want to lose weight. The most common reasons I hear about are to look better, to have more energy, and to combat or prevent health problems. What is YOUR main motivator right now? Then, take those reasons and ask yourself, “What would achieving those things do to enhance my life?” That’s your WHY power. The more you can tap into that daily, the more intrinsically motivated you’ll become. Let it fuel your fire.

Once you really dial into your WHY power, you can focus on the behaviors necessary to achieve your goals. What will you need to practice to become the sort of person that is healthier, stronger or more confident? Remember, losing weight is simply a byproduct of healthy behavior practiced consistently. When we focus on the behaviors and why we’re really doing them, we can use them to our advantage. The WHY power that got you started is exponentially more powerful than you WILL power.

The Clutter Connection

To make room in your life for something new, you have to get rid of something old. This doesn’t just apply to material possessions. It can also mean habits, mindset, and long-held beliefs that are holding you back. I believe there is a connection between emotional clutter, physical clutter and body clutter. If you’re holding on to any type of clutter, exploring some of the emotional reasons behind it can help you in other areas of life. Making space in your life – emotional and physical, is a great start.

It’s time to analyze and reset! Those emotional reasons could also be the ones that cause you to hold on to extra pounds.

During the month of March, we’ll be exploring the “why” behind the extra weight through personal development and daily accountability challenges. I’ll be posting some great articles and videos that should inspire you to declutter, and in doing so shed any extra weight or emotional baggage.

Further Suggested Reading:

What to Expect:

Our group will take place in a closed Facebook group. The only other people that will see your posts are other group members. You will be encouraged to start a ‘progress album’ to track your weight loss as well as your decluttering projects. You’ll get:

Daily decluttering tip and strategy for a 20-minute “declutter” session

Daily posts to keep you motivated

Check-ins for accountability

Fun and games!

Who Can Join:

This group is open to my current Beachbody customers (meaning you purchased something in October). What you purchase is up to you to help you on your wellness journey. It could be any of the following –

Or, Apply Below:

I chose this book after reading The Untethered Soul and feeling like it totally changed my outlook on life. I wanted to see what other nuggets of wisdom the author, Michael A. Singer, had to share. If you’re thinking about picking it up, be aware that The Surrender Experiment is more of a memoir than a personal growth book. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the other.

The Surrender Experiment starts by describing Singer’s personal spiritual journey and academic background, and ends with his meteoric rise to corporate success. Singer started his career as a professor in Florida making $5K per year, and it ends with the company he started being sold for over $100M and eventually merging with WebMD and the process he went through personally and professionally to get there.

A Spiritual Journey

The premise of the book is that early in his life, Singer decided “surrender” to let the universe and allow it drive his decisions. Most of the examples of his “allowing” have to do with opportunities he had to be of service to others. Often, those opportunities pointed him in directions he resisted and were things he really didn’t want to do. But, through his trust that the universe knew best, he was able to manifest some pretty amazing situations and abundance.

Singer was an economics student when the book begins, and through a series of events fell out of love with academics and began his spiritual journey. He definitely had an unconventional lifestyle. He was living as a yogi/hermit in a cabin in the woods and isolating himself from others in order to practice meditation for hours each day. When that failed to satisfy him, he challenged himself to see what would happened if he “surrendered” to life instead of isolating himself from it.

Business Growth

The end of the book gets a little bit dry and repetitive as he points out example after example of business transactions that happened as a result of his surrender experiment. That section left me craving more of the personal, spiritual background behind those events and examples of growth.

This book also definitely focused on his career successes, not his personal life. He doesn’t spend much time at all talking about his marriage and daughter. really doesn’t write about that much at all. You get the feeling his life was all about his career, not his family. To most of us, that part of surrender is more relevant to daily life.

Real Life Applications

I felt as though the book failed to describe his exact parameters for true “surrender”. In real life, we can’t honor every request the universe throws at us. If everyone followed that paradigm, we’d quickly become overcommitted and stressed out. It would also be easy to get taken advantage of. How did he decide which of those opportunities to take? The book seemed a little contradictory by urging us to take opportunities presented to us, yet also describing times when he turned down opportunities himself. I wanted to know how and when he “surrendered” and when he just said no.

What I did like was the emphasis on allowing our negative emotions and resistance to be our teachers and guides. This book is a great example of someone who believes life happens for them, not to them. When we look at situations in life as teachers and opportunities for growth, that’s when we learn and evolve.

Hi There!

I'm Kim, a 2017 Elite 5-Star Diamond Team Beachbody Coach. I'm a mom, wife, fitness fanatic and foodie. I love to work hard and play hard and really LIVE life to the fullest. At age 46, I'm in the best shape of my life. I believe that fitness, like life, should be fun. I love to help women of any age rediscover their passion for life, and become the best they can be! Read More…